Help !!!!!

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#1
Guy my 92" 325I is not picking up power like a BMW. I see 1988 Ford Escorts taking off the light before me. I have to almost acceleration my pedal down with the RPM getting to 4000 before the car can take off. It needs help. what upgrade can i make that will make this car faster? Help
 
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Pgh
#2
there is either something the matter with your car, your driving, or your perception of your car. For now I'll imagine it's something the matter with the car. Any other symptoms?

Also, you know that it is typical for the 325 to have more torque around 4k rpms, right? And, you know flooring it to almost redline through each gear is the best way to accellerate?

If there really ends up being nothing wrong with the car or your driving and you really just want something faster, look at www.turnermotorsport.com or www.dinanbmw.com to look for a chip, and then go from there.
 
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#3
the car has irregular idle. I also think it has vacume leak. How do you fix the Vacume Leak? Also, where is the Idle Control Valve (ICV) located in the E36 so i can clean it.
 
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#4
you should get a manual for working on you e36 with proper procedure. it makes things faster, and a lot easier.

definetly take it easy on the gas pedal until you fix these problems.
 
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#5
knightpitt said:
there is either something the matter with your car, your driving, or your perception of your car. For now I'll imagine it's something the matter with the car. Any other symptoms?

Also, you know that it is typical for the 325 to have more torque around 4k rpms, right? And, you know flooring it to almost redline through each gear is the best way to accellerate?

If there really ends up being nothing wrong with the car or your driving and you really just want something faster, look at www.turnermotorsport.com or www.dinanbmw.com to look for a chip, and then go from there.
all gas engines have more torque with higher RPM...its just the way they work, science-wise. however, all electric motors have full torque when power is applied, even with the slightest amount of power. be careful and a little gentle with older engines though. unless its rebuilt, new, or modified, i'd keep it under 6k rpm just to prolong the life of that engine.and the difference of a few hundred rpm isnt critical.
 
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#6
all gas engines have more torque with higher RPM
true up until a point, but anyone who's seen a dyno of an e36 2.5L (I'm sure including you as well) know that torque peaks somewhere a bit north of 4k (I believe) then trails off. When BMW added VANOS to the e36's, it had the effect of widening the torque band and moving the point of maximum torque down lower. It also added, what, 22 horses, by having more torque than before at higher rpms. No car has torque that increases all of the way to redline.

But, I guess that you may already know this, so I'm not trying to insult you by posting inane things that you already know, just getting the information out there in case the previous post left some folks (not in the know) wondering.
 
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#7
be careful and a little gentle with older engines though. unless its rebuilt, new, or modified, i'd keep it under 6k rpm just to prolong the life of that engine
as for this, I don't agree with it. If there is something wrong with your engine, then fix it. Otherwise, drive it like it was meant to be driven. A modified engine (high miles or not) will not be less likely to break. In fact, there are plenty of arguments (that I personally don't subscribe to) that say that a modified engine will be more likely to break.

I drove every car that I owned hard, and when stuff breaks, I fix it. In my experience, letting your car go up to redline every day, as long as it is in good mechanical condition, will not appreciably reduce your engine wear.

More importantly, stay up with your engine oil and filter changes. Flush the coolant when it needs to be, and fix stuff when it breaks.
 
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#8
Knightpitt your not insulting me at all. I don't know much about engine stuff. however, you guys still didn't answer my questions. and that is Where are the Vacumes in my 92 E36's and How do you fix the Vacume leak (Car has Irregular Idle) Also, where does the ICV (Idle control Valve) located. I need to clean that also.
 
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#9
well, as was mentioned before, I'd look into the Bentley manual.

Personally, I know a fair amount about cars (I've worked on lots of VW's, Hondas, Toyotas, Dodges and Fords), but just got my first BMW 2 weeks ago, so I don't know too much about BMW specific maintenance (e.g. exactly where the ICV is). My Bentley should be coming in the mail on Friday, so I should be able to give you that info later on.

As for finding the vacuum leak, that can sometimes be like finding a needle in a haystack. The best bet is to diagnose the symptoms of the problem, find the part associated with the problem, find the vacuum line(s) associated with that part, and inspect them. Sometimes you'll be able to visually find the leak on those hoses. The real bad leaks will be visible.

I know that it's vague, and I'm sorry about that, but I guess that once you find your ICV you'll be in good shape. Sorry that I don't have a bunch of good info for you.
 

aussie320

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#10
Hi Kenny,
From your original post it sounds like you have an driveline problem. If your vehicle has an automatic transmission then check the level of fluid. An auto will slip when the fluid is extremely low and can burn the bands inside. If you have a manual transmission then I would suggest that the clutch plates are worn and require replacement. This is NOT an engine problem, if you vehicle is revving to 4k rpm there will be heaps of torque, an engine torque problem would be indicated by a drop in the rpm's when you attempt to take off. My 2c
regards
Aussie
 
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#11
Good point Aussie. I had thought that his post was talking about a sluggish engine response up until 4k rpms e.g. moving at a fair speed but not really tearing it up.

Are you literally almost sitting still until you get to 4k? Or, is this just a matter of not getting a lot of power until the high rpms?

Also, is this an auto or a stick?
 
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#12
Aussie i think you hit it right on the point. The car is automatic and I think that the car is low on Transmission fluid. I exprience a kinda drop in power when the car is shifting from one to 2. and picks it up after about 1 second later.
 


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